So we're always seeking medical advice here, but how about pest control?

I've used Combat brand roach bait trays for years to keep roaches under control at my condo and it generally has worked well. But in recent weeks (since about the time I had my kitchen faucet replaced, but I see no leaks or anything), my roach infestation has gotten really bad.

I think some of this may have been due to the condo association employing an exterminator a couple times in recent years. I didn't participate out of fear that JJ the cat would stick his snout into pesticide without hesitation. Also, i noticed at least a couple of neighboring units resorting to hiring pest control companies on their own. So I have a sinking feeling those efforts have driven the building's cockroaches into my place. While this has generally been worst in the kitchen, I've seen them scurrying across the carpet trying to get into JJ's food on occasion, and yesterday killed one on a hallway wall, one on a bathroom towel holder, and one on my living room table.

My place is in danger of becoming like that finale in the Creepshow movie (with E.G. Marshall).

I put a glue trap (flat board) under my microwave, which sits a couple inches high on its legs. And the board is getting many cockroaches, which suggests it's a favorite hiding place.

This is all very disgusting , and is getting me to the point of not wanting to spend time in my kitchen, or even in my condo at all. I haven't seen this many running around in years. These aren't very large, most are small or tiny.

I'm nearing the point of hiring a pest control company myself, out of desperation, but am going to try a couple more sets of bait tray including HotShot brand's liquid one (it's a strange bait try that has water in it designed to draw roaches to it). I might try some spray outside (you're not supposed to use them inside for fear of contaminating the bait trays) my doors, hallway and balcony too. Perhaps some are migrating in that way.

Anyway, just venting. Sorry if I grossed anyone out. And I dunno, maybe some of you all (would esp. be interested to hear from those with pets) have had similar experiences, or have some advice? If I wasn't worried about JJ the cat, I'd probably attack the problem more aggressively, and perhaps would've let the condo's exterminator spray all over. Both JJ and Mollly before him had this bad habit of treating roach bait trays as toys, whacking them around, even if I tried to tape the trays down.

I think some of this may have been due to the condo association employing an exterminator a couple times in recent years. I didn't participate out of fear that JJ the cat would stick his snout into pesticide without hesitation. Also, i noticed at least a couple of neighboring units resorting to hiring pest control companies on their own. So I have a sinking feeling those efforts have driven the building's cockroaches into my place. While this has generally been worst in the kitchen, I've seen them scurrying across the carpet trying to get into JJ's food on occasion, and yesterday killed one on a hallway wall, one on a bathroom towel holder, and one on my living room table.

this is probably the reason. they'll fumigate one area, which will drive them to another one. I had to deal with some roaches when I was in Baltimore, ended up not keeping any food out whatsoever- the dogs got fed, and anything they didn't eat got put away. I even started storing any dry food that wasn't canned or bags of dog food in the refrigerator. with no food around they pretty much moved on.

if you do move make sure to go through all of your belongings to make sure you're not carrying any strays. also, certain varieties like hiding in stuff that warms up when in use, like refrigerator motors. finally, if you did move I'd say ditch any piece of furniture that had wide open spaces that you cannot easily inspect, like box springs or couches. better safe than sorry.

« Last Edit: September 12, 2013, 07:48:03 PM by CeeKay »

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I would also try seeing if you have someone who can watch the pets for a while, get some of those foggers... Clean the house fully first, get rid of all open food and whatnot, leave all cabinets open (and secure boxed food somewhere safe), then pop those and leave for a few hours... Even though they don't recommend it, I usually get a little more than i need and over expose the house. This is for a reoccurring ant problem (I have had exterminators here and my solutions have so far been less costly and also more effective.) I also use the exterior/border sprays outside around the perimeter.. Not sure how you could do that inside though..

My office has roaches the size of small mice. You never see them alive, you just come to work and find them dead on the floor. Weird thing this is an office, there really is no food here, very little organic trash. There is a crawl space under the floor though.

Try not to leave any water lying around cockroaches can live for weeks or months without food but will die within a week without water. By the way, did you know that if you cut off a cockroaches head, it will continue to live for up to a week doing its normal cockroach activities? It ends up dying of thirst.

Get some Advion, that stuff is brilliant. I live in Florida, the land of giant, flying cockroaches. I put some Advion down on index cards every other month, placing them under sinks and cabinets and I have zero problems with roaches. You can also dust behind your outlets with Borax as an intermediate step.

And why I can't wait to get the hell out (2 months left!). Only have seen one roach in my place, it was a gigantic thing that Raid killed quickly. I thank the horde of lizards that surround my condo everyday for keeping my bug level low (they are my favorite thing about FL).

Edit: I should also thank the snakes, but the snakes eat the lizards as well, which I have been able to witness first hand. F*** Fl.

I probably am not moving any time soon. Well, OK, if the cockroaches start flying here in Virginia, then maybe moving's an option.

When my mom and I moved to Korea in 1979, we first lived off-base (she was a teacher on a U.S. Army base, but teachers didn't get on-base housing) in a huge, old Korean house. Our house in VA had ant problems and I encountered some scary large spiders but I had never seen a cockroach until then.

I remember turning on the kitchen light to go in for a snack one night and this, to my eyes, large roach maybe 2-3" was on top of the sink counter on its hind legs, seeming to bellow. I turned the light off and ran back to my bedroom.

Later that year, or maybe in early 1980, I turned over in bed to see this monstrous roach crawling around the side. I screamed, like a little girl basically, leaped out of bed, and slept on the couch. In the morning my visiting aunt tracked it down and squashed it in a rag. She of course felt the need to SHOW it to me and say, "Aw, it's just a big waterbug."

When we moved to Seoul into an apartment building for visiting foreigners next year, I don't remember much of a roach problem but on occasion these maybe 6-8" long centipedes that really horrified us. They never bit me or anything but it's tough to sleep knowing centipedes are wiggling around. If you squashed one, it was an unbelievable mess so we learned it best to just watch and make sure they wiggled away from sight.=============

Knock on wood, I encountered no cockroaches yesterday, though I think some more got stuck on the glue trap beneath the microwave. I have resisted the temptation to cut their heads off.

In replacing more of the Combat bait trays, I realized many dated back to 2011 (I scribble the month/year w/ a Sharpie on the bottom as a reminder), which might explain the reduced effectiveness.

If you're seeing them that often then don't screw around. Call an exterminator. It's worth the money. I forgot the rule of thumb, but for every roach you see there are about x roaches living within your walls. I want to say that number is into the high hundreds. Once you have a problem that warrants posting here, you need to call people who know how to kill these things. The last thing you want are these roaches crawling around your stuff and YOU when you're sleeping. Yes, they're doing that.